As soon as Aiden left her room, Hermione immediately snatched a bottle of Butterbeer, popped it open, and took a huge swig. The sweet and familiar drink made her feel more at home than she ever had during her captivity at Grimmauld Place. As she gulped down the beverage, a wave of memories from The Three Broomsticks with Harry and Ron flooded her mind. For an instant, while reminiscing about carefree times with her best friends in the dingy pub, she felt safe. A feeling which was very rare.

The sudden and large intake of the drink started to sting her eyes. "Shite," she exclaimed as she put the bottle down on her nightstand. She began to laugh at herself as she rubbed her eyes with balled fists. She was embarrassed about her animalistic craving for Butterbeer, and especially about how Aiden was the one to relieve it. How, in Merlin's name, did he know? How did he know that Butterbeer was her favorite drink? And the copy of Pride and Prejudice didn't help either. A case of Butterbeer could've just been something picked up on the way home but the book... that was something for which you needed to know Hermione well. True, it was obvious that the witch liked to read. If it was just some old book written by some old wizard, or a Gilderoy Lockhart novel then she would've overlooked it (not to mention, she had lost count of the number of times she read the Lockhart novels). But the fact that it was a Muggle book astonished Hermione. She never really had the chance before to delve into Muggle literature. Sure, she must have had to at some point before Hogwarts, what with growing up in a Muggle home. However, it had been so long that she couldn't remember if she ever did. She had finished every book in her bookshelf. But they were all written by magical folk, and half of them she had already read from before her imprisonment. Reading was an escape for Hermione. It kept her sane. So when she saw the title of Pride and Prejudice on the book that Aiden dropped in front of her, it took her everything to not instantly seize it. It was like receiving sustenance after starving for so long or like taking morphine to kill the unbearable pain from an injury.

But the pinnacle of the visit was when Aiden began to speak of Harry. Just the thought of him made her blood boil yet it made her miss him awfully. She had been told by so many people- Dumbledore, Ginny, Harry himself- that he was keeping her here to protect her. She even tried telling herself that. But her pride kept her feeling indignant toward one of the few people that she trusted completely. She felt useless, weak, but mostly terrified. Terrified that all of her and the Order's efforts would be in vain. Terrified that Voldemort would win without her on the battlefield. Terrified that she would lose Harry and Ron since she wouldn't be there to help. It was so much easier to hide your fear with anger rather than longing. So every night for the past two weeks at midnight, when a spectral stag came flying into her room followed by Hedwig with a letter, Hermione would tear the letter and burn the pieces.

But for some inexplicable reason, when Aiden, whom she despised and distrusted, told her the same thing everyone else had about Harry- about how he loves her and he wants to keep her safe- she believed him. At first, she wanted to hex his sorry arse for bringing up her personal issue, but something kept her from it. What made his speech about Harry so different from anyone else's?

Hermione sat on her bed and began to rub her right temple. She was trying to recollect what Aiden looked like. Then again, he didn't look like anything with the bloody Death Eater mask on. But she tried to remember his eyes. They were pale gray and somehow stood out from his Death Eater mask. She remembered looking into them when he talked about Harry and she saw something... empathetic. Something that no one else had given off. It was almost like he knew exactly what Harry was going through; making a sacrifice for someone you love. Hermione wondered if Aiden had ever done something like that. Had he ever sacrificed for anyone in the past? Had he even felt that kind of love?

He is scared out of his mind that something will happen to you. Because of how much he loves you. The golden-haired girl started to shift uncomfortably, for an intense feeling of guilt came over her. She became even more wary of the so-called ex-Death Eater because he somehow made her forgive her best friend.

Hermione looked over at her nightstand and she noticed the fallen over quill on her letter to Ginny. She chuckled softly. She'd have to finish that one later. Hermione grabbed the parchment, stuffed it into the drawer, and then grabbed a fresh one to replace it. She dipped her quill in ink as she reached for her wand. She chanted a charm on the wand to again write what she says. Hermione stepped back from the nightstand as the quill levitated above the parchment, ready to scratch down her words.

She took a breath. "Dearest Harry: Even though you deliberately went against my wishes by writing to me every single night, I'm willing to overlook it. Partly because the smell of burnt parchment is starting to stink up my room. But mostly because I'm forgiving you and apologizing to you. Aiden, for reasons I can't explain, has helped me see the truth." Hermione paused. The memory of Aiden in the Death Eater mask came to her mind, his pale gray eyes standing prominently... "The truth that I can afford to love and afford to hope again."... his striking, oddly familiar eyes.

Hermione took a sharp gasp as the quill fell onto the parchment. She growled and shook her head out. She could not concentrate. She hated that, somehow after everything, he still got to her. Hermione thought she'd lose him to a distant memory by now, but he viciously crept up on her. And it did not help that Aiden ever so slightly reminded her of Draco Malfoy.

Draco was twiddling his quill in his fingers as he sat at his desk. A large stack of blank parchment sat in front of him. He chewed on his lip, wondering how he was going to fill each page with heartfelt, romantic, words to Granger. This was another thinking thing. He remembered Halloween night and how Granger was mourning the "death of romance" and "love letters". It was a brilliant idea. The problem was that Draco didn't have a romantic bone in his body. Well, that was a lie, but he would die of mortification if people knew of the ridiculous, borderline Shakespeare sonnet, thoughts he had of Granger. Draco sighed, knowing that was pretty much the goal of the love letter. He just didn't exactly know how he would articulate his feelings on paper. Plus, he didn't exactly know what he felt.

His eyes shifted to the right side of the desk. Granger's rose colored glasses rested on the mahogany wood. It was collecting dust, but the deep burgundy color was gleaming from the light rays permeating through Draco's bedroom window. Draco smiled. The last time he saw those glasses was when Granger had them on as part of her hippie costume. She was sighing and swooning over "sappy and soppy" romance. That was one of the things that made her different from the other girls Draco had been with. All of the other girls focused on the surface- the physical aspect- of the relationship. It was paper thin. However, Granger honed in on the deep, emotional part. It was extremely foreign to Draco, but it was somehow endearing at the same time.

Draco turned back to his blank parchment, dipping his quill in ink. He took a deep breath and began the letter:

Dear Hermione,

I've been thinking about letters recently. The real kind. Longhand. And how it's terrible that no one is writing them anymore. So I've decided to start one to you today.

"Wait, you're doing what?" William asked, holding his cup of tea to his lips. He was about to sip, but he stopped when he heard what a ridiculous plight Draco was attempting.

"I'm writing a love letter to Granger," Draco responded, his eyes and quill still focused on the parchment on the kitchen table.

"I know that, but a letter every single day for a year?"

Draco stopped writing and gave his tutor an annoyed look. "What's wrong with that?"

William put his hands up. "Nothing! It's just not like you. "

"What's not like me?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Y'know..." William tried gesticulating with his hands. "All this 'mushy' stuff."

Draco snickered. "This mushy stuff."

"Yeah, you just don't seem like a mushy kind of guy. You're more of a broody, constipated guy."

"Hilarious." Draco deadpanned. "But Granger happens to be into this mushy stuff. She's very into these, and I quote, 'sappy, soppy, longhand love letters'. This letter shows my commitment."

The blind man snorted. "Yeah, you know what it also shows? That you cry at chick flicks and sleep with stuffed animals."

Draco winced and was about to come back with a riposte but Isabella walked in, struggling with a large carpet back. "Would you help me out?"

Draco jumped up and took the bag and placed it on the table. He then excitedly opened the bag and took out its contents. Isabella sighed out of exhaustion. "Did you really need every single piece of literature that Jane Austen has written?"

William busted out laughing as blood rushed to Draco's cheeks. "You did not!" William cried out in between chortles. "You're going to be a bookworm now? A Muggle bookworm? Oh, this is rich. Again, I didn't peg you as the type."

Placing a hand on Draco's shoulder, Isabella reassured Draco. "I think it's sweet."

"You're not helping," he hissed at the housekeeper. He then turned to his tutor. "And you won't be laughing when this actually works."

"Okay, okay. Calm down. It's just kind of remarkable seeing how this girl is changing you. I like it."

Draco smiled. "I agree." For once, Draco didn't want to punch his tutor in the gut after he said anything. Granger was changing him. It was very subtle but still noticeable. He just hoped to Merlin that Granger would at least notice.

The kitchen went silent as the faint sound of footsteps on wood echoed throughout the house. "Hermione is coming down," Isabella whispered.

"Shite!" Draco shouted breathily.

"Hide," William said hurriedly.

At that moment, the whole room scrambled and was filled with whisper-yelling. Isabella was pushing Draco around to find a hiding spot while William was directing her to go out and distract Granger. It was the quietest chaos the world had ever known. Draco ultimately decided on the kitchen curtains as his hiding spot. He grabbed the letter and sprinted behind the thick and moldy drapes. William stayed in his spot to appear natural and Isabella ran out to distract Granger for a moment.

"Hi, Hermione how are you?" Isabella cheerfully and nonchalantly asked while walking out of the kitchen.

"I'm great. Have you seen Aiden?"

As the two women chatted away, Draco was choking on the dust of the one hundred-year-old curtain. He began to cough quietly.

"Shut up," William muttered.

"You shut up! I'm suffocating on my cousin's ancient skin cells-"

The tutor hushed him. "Oi! She's coming."

Everything went silent again as Granger entered the kitchen. She walked in slowly, it being her first time in a long time in there. Draco was holding his breath, in fear that she would hear him from behind the curtain inhaling and exhaling.

"Hello. I'm Hermione," she greeted William, giving a small wave.

William stood up and extended his arm. "Hi. William. A pleasure!"

"Um, is Aiden around?" she asked, after shaking his hand. Draco's heart jumped to his throat. Was she asking for him? Literally, a day before she couldn't even look at him. Draco had to literally keep himself from jumping out of the curtains to reveal himself. He remembered that she still hadn't seen his face yet, and that was a whole other bridge to cross.

"No, I haven't seen him. I think he's-" William immediately started giggling. Both Granger and Draco contorted their face in puzzlement.

"What's so funny?" Granger asked.

"Oh, it's just the fact that I used the expression 'I haven't seen'. It's funny cause I literally cannot see. Y'know... cause I'm blind."

Draco mouthed the words, What in the bloody hell?! behind the curtain. He heard Granger give a small, sympathetic laugh. Draco wanted to wring his tutor's neck with the crusty curtain.

William caught on to the awkwardness. "Oh, Merlin. I'm sorry. I haven't gotten out much these past few months. I'm obviously losing my social graces. Let's start over." The blind man extended his hand again. "Hi. William. A pleasure! No, I haven't seen Aiden today. Sorry"

Granger shook his hand with a chuckle. "It's okay, I just wanted to ask him if he knew if there were any more books laying about."

"Oh! Well, there's a library-"

"Yeah, but I've read all of those books. I was actually wondering if he had any books written by Muggle authors."

Both William and Draco raised their eyebrows. "Really?" William coughed out.

"Yeah-" Granger's eyes fell on the books on the table. Her eyes lit up. "Are these yours?"

"No. Actually, they belong to Aiden. An all-around, way good guy who's a total Muggle bookworm."

Draco inwardly groaned. He didn't know whether his tutor was badly helping or purposely depleting his chances with this girl.

Granger started beaming. "Are you serious? I didn't see him as the sort of guy."

"Trust me." William slightly turned his head toward the curtain. "No one did."

Draco rolled his eyes. But he was relieved when Granger sounded pleased about his apparent bookworm-ness. William would have to eat his heart out.

"Well, do you think he'll mind if I take one? I already finished the one he gave me." Granger asked.

"Oh yeah! Go ahead." William answered.

Granger nodded her thanks and then trotted upstairs to her room.

Once Draco knew it was safe, he bounded out of the curtains and started laughing. "Suck on that, Blindie! She's half in love with me already."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You still need to read the books, lover-boy. You can't fake it with this girl."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Draco retorted mockingly. "Oh, and what was with incredibly awkward 'joke' you pulled?"

William groaned while rubbing his forehead. "Yeah. Sorry about that. It's just that I haven't seen the sun and talked to the same two people for months. So you can't blame me for short-circuiting while talking so a new person for the first time in eternity."

A pang of guilt hit Draco square in the chest. He remembered that William and Isabella were also prisoners in this hellhole. Their escape solely depended on whether or not Draco's curse would break. It was either that or to wait for the year drag on. And neither of them complained. Well, at least to his face. Either way, Isabella and William were sacrificing a year of their life to babysit a whiny arsehole. And he didn't thank them once.

"Sorry," Draco mumbled, staring at the floorboards.

William waved his hand in dismissal. "Don't worry about it. Apologize after that girl falls in love with you. Speaking of, when are you planning on revealing to her the face of her Prince Charming?"

That was the one wrinkle. Draco had no idea how she was going to react to seeing him full on. He remembered the horrified expression spread across Madam Pomfrey's face when she saw him in the Hospital Wing. She saw him as a monster. Draco's stomach churned at the thought of Granger reacting the same way. Would she run? Scream? Stare in disgust? Either way, he had to face her at some point.

Draco exhaled. "I'm working on that. How would one exactly go about revealing their mutilated face?"

"Hmmm." William hummed thoughtfully. "Well, I'd say just go for it. Don't give her any warnings or anything. You're not revealing an ugly face. You're revealing your face. Take the whole 'ugly' and 'shameful' thing and turn it into something not. If Granger really is the one, I promise you, she won't care one bit about how you look. If she does, then she's no better than the rest of them." The tutor slowly stood up and stretched out his cane across the floor. "And who knows? She may be into the whole hardcore, battle scar, ink-mutilation type of guy."

"Funny!" Draco called out at as his tutor hobbled out of the kitchen.

He turned around headed for his room. On the way, the family tapestry caught the corner of his eye from the drawing room. Draco pivoted and crept in. The last time he was in this God-forsaken room was when he scorched his portrait on the wall. The blackened image made him cringe. The tapestry as a whole haunted him. It was a constant reminder of his stained past, and he desperately wanted to erase it. Draco was considering burning the whole tapestry, but then it may cause the whole room to set on fire. Draco couldn't say that he didn't entertain the idea. Even the part about setting the whole drawing room ablaze. But in turn, it could've set the whole house on fire and the room would just have been more wretched. Abruptly, William's words came to mind. Take the whole 'ugly' and 'shameful' thing and turn it into something not.

Draco raised both of his eyebrows. A sudden idea flashed through. Draco jogged over to the window and he found a fine layer of dust blanketed over the curtains. Draco tugged at them, and they came plunging to the floor. Dust exploded from the fabric on impact but the sun's rays, which was concealed behind the drapes, came pouring through the window pane. It automatically gave the room a new life with the natural light. Draco planted himself in front of the window and faced the room. He imagined what the room would look like; Floor to ceiling shelves, a ladder with wheels propped up against them, cushions and couches, reading lamps. Draco grinned and slowly nodded his head at the picturesque scene in his mind's eye. He had another thinking thing. He was going to build Granger a new library.

When Draco told Isabella and William about his idea, they were completely on board, after William made fun of him first of course. But then Draco told them that he wanted to build the library without magic. And then William made fun of him even more.

The reason Draco wanted to build the library without magic was because he wanted to put in as much work as possible. He wanted to show his care and thought into this gift to Granger. It was going to be special. But he knew he was crazy for attempting this. He had absolutely no clue on how to use a hammer and nail, a drill, or whatever other Muggle tools were out there. Isabella had bought him a Muggle book entitled Woodworking for Dummies. At first, he scoffed at the insulting book. He was hardly a dummy. He was an excelling student. Why were Muggles so bloody demeaning? But he cracked it open and learned Muggle techniques in building structures. Soon, he began working on the library.

It was a slow, and steady (mostly slow) process. He had lost count of the number of crooked shelves he created and the splinters he received as a result. Isabella ordered the lumber and bought the tools Draco needed. And thanks to the very large Malfoy/ Black fortune, she was able to order first editions of the Muggle literary classics. Frankenstein, The Great Gatsby, 1984, A Tale of Two Cities were among of the plethora of priceless books that came in. Isabella also ordered luxurious furniture. Plush couches, armchairs, marble tables, and mahogany chairs came flooding into Grimmauld Place. It was William's job to keep Granger occupied and in her room, as far away as possible from the drawing room.

This process went on for four weeks and the world was turning from Autumn to Winter during this time period. Getting in the furniture and decorations proved difficult what with traveling through the snowy weather. But, in the middle of December, the library was finally complete.

Isabella and Draco stood in the same spot he stood a month before. Only this time, the image in Draco's head came to life before his eyes.

Isabella squeezed Draco's arm. "I love it! It's beautiful," she squealed.

"Do you think she will like it?"

"Of course!"

Draco looked down at the housekeeper and smiled. "When do you think I should show it to her?"

"Well, I think you need to show her something else first." Isabella let go of his arms and looked at him sternly. "You need to actually meet this girl face to face."

Draco exhaled with exasperation. "I know. I just don't know the right time."

"Well better sooner than later." Isabella lifted Draco's left arm and turned it so his tattoo faced up . The tree on his arm was covered in snow. "Time is ticking."

In the dead of night, Draco was sitting in the kitchen working on his letter to Granger. It was that time of night where everything was quiet. Your thoughts came in more clearly without all of the white noise from the daytime. Draco also enjoyed the solitude the night brought. He was alone, but not lonely. There was also a sick joy in being awake when everyone else was asleep. Well... almost everyone.

"Hi," Granger called out softly from the entryway of the kitchen. Draco jumped and immediately flipped his letter upside down while turning his body away from her. Thank Merlin his hood was already up. Draco gave Granger a small grunt of acknowledgment, still startled by her sudden appearance.

"So are we ever going to really meet?" she asked.

"Mm-hmm."

Granger stepped into the dimly lit kitchen. "Like now?"

"No." Draco retorted sharply. He instantly regretted it.

"Okay..." Hermione was taken aback by his gruff response.

Draco was relieved that he didn't hear her walk away. She still remained in the kitchen, and still talked to the man who refused to look at her. "How long have you been here?"

"Only since the end of September."

"Do you have any family?"

Draco bit his lip. He thought of his parents. His father with the Dark Lord and his mother in hiding. "Yes. But I haven't seen them in ages. To be honest, they're kind of... outcasts."

To Draco's astonishment, Granger related to him. "Trust me, I know what you mean. Both of my parents are Muggles so they're looked down upon by the entirety of the magical world. It's worse than it ever has been what with Voldemort's deep hatred for their kind. And I'm scared shiteless for them." Granger laughed, attempting to conceal her distress. "Anyway, it feels like forever since I've seen them."

She then sat down at the head of the table. "So... both of our parents are outcasts. We both haven't seen them for awhile. It's too bad we have nothing in common," Granger stated sarcastically.

Draco smiled. He wondered what she would do if she knew that she just claimed that she and Draco Malfoy had something in common. She would probably go berserk.

Granger continued the small talk. "So I finished the book you gave me."

"What did you think?"

"I loved it! It was brilliantly written, filled with wit and romance." Draco slightly turned his head toward her. She was speaking with the same fire and passion that he had only seen her do a few times. But it still had the same intoxicating effect on him. "The way that Darcy changed his ways for the woman he loved was just exquisite. He truly was a prat before that."

"Well, I think Darcy gets a bad rap," Draco responded while grinning. He had done his homework and read the book as well. "He really did have good intentions the entire time."

Granger raised a quizzical brow. "Are you joking? He was the one that took Bingley away from Jane, just because he thought her family was just a group of gold-diggers."

"Well, the main reason was that he thought Jane had no interest in Bingley. Darcy pulled him out as a friend protecting a friend from heartbreak. Plus, you've got to admit, the mom was a gold digger."

Granger scoffed. "Okay. But when Darcy proposed to Elizabeth he outright told her that he loved her against his better judgment. Like, he was embarrassed he loved her since she was a lower class. And then he was utterly shocked that she rejected him."

"What?! So you wouldn't accept a proposal that was basically: 'I really shouldn't like you since you're poor but marry me anyway?' " Draco replied playfully.

"Well if you put it that way it sounds oddly charming!"

Both started cracking up. Draco was mesmerized by her laugh. He had only seen her this blissful, again, only a few times before. He remembered her skipping around Hogwarts and Hogsmeade, carefree and joyfully. Knowing that he was the cause for her bliss, this time, was more than he could have asked for.

Once the two settled down, Draco asked her a question. "Granger, do you miss school?"

"Call me Hermione. And yes I miss it like a natural born nerd," she responded with a smile.

Draco was caught off guard. He had never called her by her first name. It seemed like something reserved for the ones closest to her."Well Gran- Hermione, I have classes with William if you would like to come." That was a mostly true statement. There were classes, but they just hadn't ever started them.

Hermione's smile grew wider. "Yes! I would love to. Tomorrow?"

Draco nodded. Oh, Merlin. William was going to kill him.

"Okay! Great!" She stood up from her chair. "Well, I guess goodnight then." Hermione turned to leave.

"Wait."

Draco heard her footsteps falter. His stomach lurched in anxiety. This was the point of no return. This would either be the first or last time she'd see him fully. This was when he found out if he would ever become a man again or if he would remain a beast. As Draco stood up, a thousand possible reactions raced through his mind. Would she flee? Scream? Stare in horror? He held his breath and lowered his black hood as he ever so slowly turned to face Hermione.

Draco swore that this moment lasted for an eternity. The silence from Hermione was deafening. He was standing there, feeling naked and vulnerable, watching her every move. He saw her jaw drop faintly. His heart fell, thinking it was out of disgust.

Draco spoke. "Pretty gruesome, huh?"

His heart skipped a beat when she started walking toward him. With every step she took, his pulse quickened. She was then mere inches away from him. His breath stopped and his eyes shut completely as she raised her delicate palm to his face. Draco instantly recalled the day in the office. He remembered her grasping his face gently as she healed his bleeding cheek. That day was the first day in a long time he had felt something other than cold- the first time he felt anything at all. That day, Hermione made him feel like a real person with a beating heart that had a life that was worth living, and today was no different. He just now prayed to God that she wouldn't run screaming.

Hermione merely looked at him as she held him, and whispered, "I've seen worse."

And in that moment, Draco knew that Hermione Granger was going to save him.